Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship

Family Sponsorship

Spousal Sponsorship | Parent Sponsorship | Other Relative

Family reunification is at the core of Canada’s immigration policy. As a Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident you can sponsor your spouse, parents, children, and in exceptional cases, your other relatives, so they can join you in Canada.

Express Entry

Work experience, education and licensing in your profession or trade makes you a competitive candidate in Canada’s Express Entry categories. Recent changes are also granting more points to immigrants who have studied in Canada.

You can further support your application with a LMIA or Provincial Nomination where your job is in high demand or your employer supports your employment goals.

Refugees

Inside Canada | Outside Canada

Canada is an active participant in international refugee resettlement goals. As a community or group, you can sponsor a refugee living outside Canada. An individual or family in Canada can make a refugee claim inside Canada and continue to remain in Canada while their claim is processing.

As a refugee claimant, government programs enable you to work, access healthcare and obtain financial assistance.

Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C)

Temporary residents or those without status in Canada can apply for permanent residence where they will face hardship if returned to their country of citizenship. This is an exceptional category of immigration and applicants are assessed on a number of factors.

If you meet the exception to apply under the H&C category and pass the first stage of processing, you can begin to work and study. After the first stage you will be on your way to getting Canadian Permanent Residence and can eventually apply for Citizenship.

Temporary Residents

Students | Visitor Visa | ETA | Work Permit

Canada is one of the world’s foremost tourist destinations. Thousands of temporary residents travel and explore Canada as tourists, others come to study or work temporarily. Many of Canada’s permanent residents first arrived as temporary residents and through observing the immigration rules and categories, have made Canada their permanent home.

Temporary residents are not permitted to stay in Canada longer than their visa allowance and cannot work unless given a work permit. However, temporary residence can often start the path to permanent residence where immigration rules are followed.

Enforcement & Deportation

Temporary and Permanent Residents can face removal, detention, or inadmissibility arising out of criminality. If you are subject to a removal order or found inadmissible, you can petition to remain in Canada or overcome your inadmissibility while overseas.

If you already have family in Canada, want to reunite with a spouse, or want to resume work or study in Canada, you will have to go through a separate admissibility assessment before arriving in Canada.

Appeals, Judicial Review & Federal Court

Applications get refused for insufficient information, not meeting the eligibility requirements, and sometimes because of the decision maker’s error. Some applications are eligible for an appeal, others are reviewed by the Federal Court through Judicial Review. The Federal Court also has the ability to stop removals or deportations by way of stay motions.

Before starting the appeal process or judicial review process you should assess whether your application has good grounds for an appeal, or whether you should just re-apply.

Citizenship & Permanent Residence

Citizenship applications can become complex where you have numerous exits and entries to and from Canada. It is important to provide exact information that is properly matched to your passport records and entry and exit records. Small inconsistencies or mistakes can delay your application or result in a refusal.

Canada offers the opportunity to Permanent Residents abroad who have expired PR cards to return to Canada if they can meet the residency requirement and show that they permanently intend to reside in Canada.